New Zealand has a similar body, but the Telecom Users Association of New Zealand gets no direct government cash, and is battling for funding and survival. Thus, it is perhaps in a weakened state at the moment, despite previous campaign success.

If Vodafone is not careful, it will rightly fuel a demand for government action against it and other telcos. Its own actions might even lead to a similar body to ACCAN being set up, with taxpayer funding and a tougher regulatory regime.

Darren Greenwood has been in journalism, not all of it IT, since the days of typewriters and long before the web spun its way around the world.Coming from Yorkshire, he can be blunt, and though having resided in New Zealand, as well as Australia, for quite some time, he insists he is not one of the 'sheeple!'